NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 9 Bholi
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Read and Find Out :
Q. Why is Bholi’s father worried about her?
Ans: Bholi is neither intelligent nor pretty. She also stammers. All this means that no one would be ready to marry her. This is why Bholi’s father is worried about her.
Q. What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?
Ans: She gives him a little extra between meals like malt, cod-liver oil and Horlicks before sleep. She is not wise in doing so because it causes Tricki more discomfort than making him feel better
Q. For what unusual reasons is Bholi sent to school?
Ans: When a new girls’ primary school is opened in the village, the tehsildar asks Ramlal to send his daughters and set an example. So, despite having
the view that education makes girls unsuitable for marriage, Bholi’s parents sent her to school. They think that with her lack of looks and intelligence, nobody would marry her.
Q. Does Bholi enjoy her first day at school?
Ans: When Bholi enters school, she is very nervous but by the end of the day the teacher’s encouraging attitude helps her to like school and enjoy her first day at school.
Q. Does she find her teacher different from the people at home?
Ans: Bholi was always being made fun of by the people at home. They called her a ‘dumb cow’. Bholi hardly ever spoke to anyone as she stammered. However, her teacher was different. She encouraged Bholi to speak and did not make fun of her. She was very kind to her.
Q. Why do Bholi’s parents accept Bishamber’s marriage proposal?
Ans: Bholi’s lack of looks and intelligence and her stammering meant that no one would marry her. So, Bholi’s parents accepted Bishamber’s proposal, even though, he was too old for her, had grown up children and was limped.
Q. Why does the marriage not take place?
Ans: The groom, on seeing the bride’s pock-marked face, refuses to marry her unless the father of the bride gives him five thousand rupees. Even though the father was ready to give the money, the bride refuses to marry an old greedy man and the marriage does not take place.
Think About It :
Q. Bholi had many apprehensions about going to school. What made her feel that she was going to a better place than her home?
Ans: Bholi had no idea what a school would be like. She thought it was a bad place. However, when she had a bath, dressed in fresh clothes, got her hair oiled and braided then she started thinking that maybe she was being taken to a place better than home.
Q. How did Bholi’s teacher play an important role in changing the course of her life?
Ans: Bholi’s teacher was very encouraging. Instead of making fun of her or scolding her like the people at home, the teacher listened to her patiently, taught her to read and write and above all, gave her the self confidence that made her a strong person. This confidence helped Bholi in rejecting the marriage to an old greedy man. She decided to stand on her own feet. Thus, the teacher played an important role in changing Bholi’s life.
Q. Why did Bholi at first agree to an unequal match? Why did she later reject the marriage? What does this tell us about her?
Ans: Bholi had been made to believe, since childhood, that she was a ‘dumb cow’ and that no one would want to marry her. This is why, she agrees to the match for the reputation of her father. However, when she sees that the man despite, being, too old and limping, asks for five thousand rupees to marry her, she rejects the marriage calling him greedy and callous. This shows how she uses her education and confidence to lead a better life and not give in to social pressures.
Q. Bholi’s real name is Sulekha. We are told this right at the beginning. But only in the last but one paragraph of the story is Bholi called Sulekha again. Why do you think she is called Sulekha at that point in the story?
Ans: Sulekha is named Bholi since childhood as she is a simpleton with little intelligence. Everybody calls her Bholi. By the end of the story, she is an educated and confident girl who can go against the social pressures and lead a life she wants. This shows that she is no longer the simpleton everyone would laugh at and so she is called Sulekha.
Talk About It :
Q. Bholi’s teacher helped her overcome social barriers by encouraging and motivating her. How do you think you can contribute towards changing the social attitudes illustrated in this story?
Ans: Creating awareness among the rural population about the benefits of educating the girl child and increasing tolerance towards special needs people is the way we can contribute towards changing social attitudes.
Q. Should girls be aware of their rights and assert them? Should girls and boys have the same rights, duties and privileges? What are some of the ways in which society treats them differently? When we speak of ‘human rights’, do we differentiate between girls’ rights and boys’ rights?
Ans: Girls should be aware of their rights and assert them. Girls and boys both should have the same rights. Female infanticide and not sending girls to school are some of the ways that society treats them differently. Human rights do not differentiate between girls and boys.
Q. Do you think the characters in the story were speaking to each other in English? If not, in which language were they speaking? (You can get clues from the names of the persons and the non-English words used in the story.)
Ans: No, the characters in the story were not speaking in English. They were speaking in Hindi.
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